North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pretty clearly lost some weight, but Pyongyang isn't exactly celebrating the slimmer leader. "Our people's hearts ached most when we saw (Kim's) emaciated looks," North Korean state TV reported Friday, quoting an unidentified male wearing a straw hat. "Everyone says their tears are welling up in their eyes naturally."
Based on recent photos, North Korea watchers estimate that 5-foot-8 Kim, who used to weigh about 308 pounds, has lost 22 to 44 pounds recently, The Associated Press reports. Theories on Kim's weight loss range from successful dieting to improve his health to long-simmering rumors about health issues, and some analysts see the unusual concern expressed on state TV as a way to boost sympathy and support for Kim inside North Korea, suffering from crises tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, United Nations sanctions over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, natural disasters, and chronic economic mismanagement.
Kim, 37, is known for heavy smoking and drinking, and he has not picked a successor. His father and grandfather both died of heart issues.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-warTalking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful northThe Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictatorIn the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
